The sales figures for September 2018 are in … and a whopping 927 units separate the top two vehicles as the battle for the title of South Africa’s best-selling bakkie continues. Only thing is, that battle has become somewhat one-sided.

According to Naamsa, September’s new vehicle industry sales came in at 49 670 units, representing a fall of 1,9%, year on year. The light commercial segment, meanwhile, declined 1,2% to 14 342 units for the month (also, check out our lists of SA’s best-selling passenger vehicles and worst-selling cars).

So, what exactly happened in terms of bakkie sales in September 2018? Well, the recently refreshed Toyota Hilux remained at the very top, with the Ford Ranger having to settle for second place yet again. By our maths, that puts the Hilux a mammoth 7 395 units ahead of the Ranger in the year-to-date race, with a mere three months left.

In September, the Nissan NP200 stayed in third spot, with the Isuzu KB likewise remaining in fourth. The Nissan NP300/Hardbody (we’re now combining these figures) rounded out the top half of the table, keeping its fifth-place ranking.

The Volkswagen Amarok climbed two places to sixth, while the Mahindra Pik-Up fell one to seventh. The Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-up held steady in eighth, while the Nissan Navara moved up one spot to ninth. Meanwhile, the GWM Steed fell three to tenth, grabbing the final place on the list.

That means there was no room for the Mahindra Bolero (62), Fiat Fullback (32), Mitsubishi Triton (26) or Mazda BT-50 (3) in September. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz South Africa doesn’t report individual model sales, so it’s hard to tell exactly how many X-Class units were sold during the month.

See the top ten list below, and have a look at August 2018’s figures here.

Ryan has spent most of his career in online media, writing about everything from sport to politics and other forms of crime. But his true passion – reignited by a 1971 Austin Mini Mk3 still tucked lifeless in a dark corner of his garage – is of the automotive variety.